About

"In all the wild imaginings of mythology a fanciful spirit is playing on the boarder-line between jest and earnest." Johan Huizinga

There was a moment when I considered writing this in the third person. Really. But that thought passed in a hurry. I mean, who would I be kidding? 

Anyway... here's my story.

Serious picture

I am an American religious historian who specializes in religion and sports, religion in the American South, and civil religion. My book Southern Civil Religions: Imagining the Good Society in the Post-Reconstruction Era won the 2012 Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Award from the Florida Historical Society.

I am currently writing a religious history of sports in America--30 minutes at a time.

In addition to writing in scholarly journals and edited volumes, I have published popular pieces for the Christian Century, Christianity Today, the Marginalia Review of Books, Sojourners, and the Washington Post. For a decade, I was the managing editor and book review editor for the Journal of Southern Religion. From 2013-16, I hosted an interview podcast for the Marginalia Review of Books. 

Outside of academia, I enjoy spending time with my family and distance running. I have run 15 marathons, but lately have preferred racing shorter distances, from the half-marathon to the mile. 

Picture that shows I have hobbies

On my blog, I talk quite a bit about distance running, as well as topics related to teaching, writing, and even my unhealthy relationship with college football.

While the posts are quite random, I do aspire to abide by the title of the blog--to situate my words somewhere "between jest and earnest." Academics like myself tend to both over-emphasize how funny they are, while at the same time taking themselves WAY too seriously. 

In this space, then, I try to find a balance between these two extremes. Am I successful? Of course not. But I might as well keep at it. 

For more about me, please check the other pages on this website. Please also feel free to email me with questions, comments, requests, etc.